lists

Complex lists Chelsea as the best art neighborhood in the world, for its diversity. They write of Hurricane Sandy that “even the little guys managed to find a way to stay afloat, a testament to the resilience and strength of the community.” Among most notable galleries is Postmasters, which leaves next week to escape the skyrocketing rent. [Complex]

Thanks to Andrew Russeth for pointing out this jewel on billionaires Joe Nahmad from 2007. He’s rich, but notoriously difficult to deal with. It’s hard to get the Nahmads to pay. They don’t stick to the terms of the deal. Nahmad never tips waiters and once ate 14 croissants for breakfast. [Forbes]

An art student chopped off a live chicken’s head in the Alberta College of Art and Design cafeteria; it was all part of the student’s loose interpretation on a class assignment to film a protest. Police will not press charges. [Maclean’s, via @CAA]

Those hoping ArtPrize’s new Executive Director Christian Gaines will curb the amount of kitsch the citywide event has become known for should prepare to have their hopes dashed. Gaines, a former film festival manager, says he has no plans to alter the voting process that’s come to define the event. [Hyperallergic]

Some architects like the former Folk Art Museum building! More than 30 architects and board members of the Architectural League of New York signed a letter that asks MoMA not to tear it down. The building was designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects. [Architect Magazine]

Move over, 1988. Hans-Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets are leading a study of artists born after 1989, called 89plus; the project has just selected 22-year-old Alex Mackin Dolan for a residency at the Armory. [ANIMAL]

The only offensive thing about Halle’s list is that it might give people the impression that they’ve actually learned something. I really hope commenters were being ironic when they applauded the “art history” lesson available from the slideshow captions; apparently some people can’t imagine how real art history might differ from a brief paragraph with some fun facts. This list is too brief, too arbitrary, and too thin to gather anyone’s attention for more than a few minutes. It is a tremendous success.